The Things He Did
by MysteryFictions
Summary: Erik was consumed by the idea of revenge and while undergoing this transformation from human to monster he had lost the one thing he loved the most and a little more.


**Don't ask why I wrote this story, I just felt like Erik could be a good pairing with someone who is french so yes and french people are cute so the OC is French.**

 _ **A Million things Erik did wrong, but one thing he did right.**_

I met Eric when we were young. My father was a Nazi officer, while my mother was a personal assistant for Sebastian Shaw. At first I had thought Shaw to be a good man, but at the slightest notice of my abnormality he had become a terrible man. I grew up mostly in France with my mother when I was younger, Shaw would arrive every few days from Berlin to talk to her about business. He would lavish my child hood self with chocolate and gifts. He was different and unlike my mother I had noticed it more so.

Eventually my mother and I were moved to Auschwitz, a concentration camp for Jews. This was where Shaw spent most of his time doing experiments and researching things I could not understand at the time. I did, however, acknowledge how terrible the Nazi's were. I never looked at my father the same after witnessing him whip the Jews into the inhumane work they were forced into.

I was given the upmost treatment, sometimes Shaw would babysit me while my mother was off doing work, he would read me stories and give me more sweets. Everyday I would be brought to a schoolhouse not far from the hollow grey walls of the camp. My life had changed all due what I would soon consider a deformity.

The other children were German and I had only known so little from my father's side of the family. They would make fun of my French accent and sometimes make me cry. I still hate myself for seeking comfort from the very man who always seemed to be there when I needed him. Shaw was mostly my caretaker after we moved, I seldom saw my mother because she was always so busy. One day a kid had gone to far, he had pushed me and called me obscene names in his native language. I had broken then, I had not known what happened and I still don't to this day, all I remember is the kid falling down and not getting up. His heart had stopped beating, in fact it exploded, and I was the culprit.

I was taken back to Auschwitz, on the car ride there... I was crying, the hardest part was that my mother barely touched me, she was so scared of me, of what I had done that she barely even looked at me. I was brought into Shaw's office where I was sat next to a young man and there I was left.

It was quiet mostly, all but the few sniffles from me and the heavy sighs from him. He looked over at me and I at him, it was as if we both could sense it, could sense that we were the same, that we needed to stick together when no one else would stick with us. He placed his hand over mine and held it, he forced an awkward a smile and I in return, but neither of us were happy enough to make it feel real.

"Ich bin Erik." He said in a soft voice, I rose her other hand up to wipe a tear away. I knew what he had said, but if the conversation went past that point, it would be useless trying to talk to him.

"Appoline." Luckily there was no more conversation after that. Days past and Erik and I became more familiar with one another. Mostly because Shaw did experiments on us, more so Erik than me. Shaw instead would sit me in front of his desk and try talk to me in French about how I could use my powers, how long I had known, or perhaps if I had ever felt different. Sometimes I would not answer because I did not know the answer. He would experiment on me then, try to get me to do exactly what I had done to that little boy. There is no need to go past that point, the things that a child should not be forced to do... I had done, it was horrible.

By that point my family had given up on me, it was only Erik and me. When the war was over we were released and the whereabouts of Shaw unknown, from that point on we remained together. I had never used my abilities after that, I considered them monstrous when Erik told me that they were beautiful. I had the ability to control my environment, sometimes my emotions would make the room darker or lighter, sometimes you would see my eyes change color or a glass explode in front of me due to how angry I could get. I would always remember the day I felt my abilities had crossed the line, far past exploding a heart or creating a tiny vortex of air.

Erik and me were talking about money problems, something we had been considerably worried about since neither of us had very humble jobs. I worked as a bartender and worked as a worker at the nearest steel mill. We were still young, but deeply in love. Sometimes we would talk about happiness and love, we would lay in one another's embrace nude across the extremely small twin sized bed we were forced to and we just talked. However, this one time had caused me to feel repulsed with my abilities, Erik didn't say much about it. I was cleaning the dishes when we were talking, my back facing him as we continued to banter over how the rent would be paid for that month.

"My goddamned boss, doesn't even bother to give me a raise. I don't see why it is me that always has to ask, why don't you ask your boss?"

"He isn't as forgiving as yours is, Erik." I sternly replied, I was frustrated, sad, angry, and stressed out all at once. I hadn't thought anything of Erik's silence until I heart a breathless pant, when I turned around my eyes widened. Erik was on the floor, clutching at his throat to allow sweet oxygen. I gasped and fell down on my knees beside him, he was finally allowed to take in a heavy breath. I hadn't realized in my state that I could do such a thing to the man I love. It was sickening.

I began to cry, Erik quickly wiped my tears away, he wordlessly forgave me with a passionate kiss, then he picked me up and carried me to our bed so that he could assure me my personal necessities, which I had been lacking that week. That was just a couple months ago, just a day or two ago Erik had told me that he had caught a lead on Shaw's location.

That is how I ended up here staring at myself in the mirror. My long, blond hair was dripping with wetness, part of the mirror was fogged by the steam that had risen from the shower. The pale skin across my neck was littered with tiny love bites and bruises. I couldn't help but smile to myself, but eventually that smile would die down and I would only be staring into blank blue eyes burdened by the man that I loved.

I had never known Erik when he was truly happy, I had seem him smile at me a few times, but never was it a true smile. He had told me about his mother, but only on his own, I would dare not ask what had happened. The thing that hurt me the most was knowing that despite being with him all along, he still felt alone. That was when I knew that perhaps our love was only a way for him to fill that emptiness.

I turned off the water to the sink and exited the bathroom as I had entered, naked. Erik was fiddling with that coin of his, he laid on his side of the bed wrapped in a crimson robe that the hotel kept as a complementary item. He looked over at me and smiled lightly. He always said that I had a way of walking, that instead of just putting one foot in front of the other I floated... Like an angel.

I returned the smile finding my way onto the bed beside him and wrapping my arms around his, leaning my head onto his shoulder. His eyes were focused on the wall across from the bed, where a montage of Shaw's image covered it. I sighed, trying not to be disappointed due to the fact he was always looking at that picture. It had consumed him and I could barely say when.

"If you stare long enough you might actually see yourself." My French accent sunk deeply into each word, my voice was light a froffy, melodic really. But he knew my words and despite no change in my voice, he knew my tone. It was mostly a warning, not an insult, Erik knew I would never affront him.

"Someone has to do it, otherwise he won't stop hurting other mutants." I felt his hand rest on my thigh and the lights in the room flickered. He smirked brightly then, he liked that particular uncontrollable sense of my mutation. In fact, he had a tendency to use the changes in the environment as way of telling how I was feeling. Right now? In love.

"You will only become the thing you are trying to destroy. The things we have seen should not be the stereotype for all men. Shaw is a devil, but by killing him you only do what he wants you to do." He leaned his head down further to kiss my lips softly, when he pulled away he was caressing my cheek. His eyes shot down to my naked breast than back up to my lips and then my eyes.

"You have such a beautiful way of saying the things you need to say." He admired out loud, I shook my head and closed my eyes leaning further into his shoulder and placing a hand over the small patch of skin on his chest that was revealed from the robe.

"I love you Erik, what happened to the idea of love? The one where we would leave Berlin and go live in a cottage somewhere in the country. We would get married and have two beautiful children."

"That future still stands, but only after I erase that terrible man from this world." Erik flicked the coin at the picture like a dart, it imbedded itself into the wall at Shaw's forehead. "Only then can we be happy." I pushed him away and shoved myself under the covers as though to hide, he glared in my direction as I turned my back to him.

"You don't need to do this." I whispered with a broken voice.

"You are afraid I will fail."

"No." I turned my body again and snapped at him, but only because I couldn't bare seeing him hurt, I couldn't bare seeing a different Erik... a much more worse Erik. "I am afraid you will forget about me and leave me alone just like my parents had. I have no one else... Can't you see what you have right here in front of you." He placed his hands on either side of my face and caressed my cheeks, tears collecting at the corner of his eyes.

"I do see you, I love you, I am doing this only for us." I shook my head again and turned it slightly to kiss the palm of his hand. I then grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands from my face.

"Just take your leap Erik, before you bring me down with you." I spun away from him and buried myself in the covers. My words had more weight on him than I had expected, they were allowing Erik the choice he could bring me with him and we could forget Shaw, or he could leave and possibly never see me again. There was a strong silence and for a moment, I hope he would stay, only then could we really live up to our dreams.

"So that's how it will be?"

"I suppose that is." The bed creaked as he sat up from it, he got dressed and grabbed his things, he placed a soft kiss to my forehead and left the hotel room. He was gone...

I mourned the fact that he wasn't coming back to me, I wasn't sure if I should have been in utter pain or complete relief. Relief because he never really did love me, or maybe he did, the issue was that he didn't know how to let things go. He just never realized that I was having a hard time letting things go too.

A couple years passed in misery, but there were a couple of good things that came from loving him. He came back, but as before only because he needed something. This time it wasn't love, it was a place to hide. I didn't even know that he knew where I lived, the rapid knocking at the door was how this encounter began.

I opened the door, almost freezing in shock at the very sight of him. He was in charming condition: His hair was slicked back, his face smoothly shave, he wore a black jacket with a dark blue button up and long dress pants followed by sharp shoes, a woman beside him completely covered in blue, but wearing a white dress that fit tightly to her figure and heels. He held a brown hat under his left arm and he gave a simple smile when my eyes met his.

"Erik... What are you doing here?"

"I know it has been a while Appoline, but we need a place to hide and I couldn't help but think of you." I clenched my fists, but in a nervous manner, the handle on the door began to grow soft with my abilities, soon my palm could easily compress the knob underneath my hand. I stopped myself and tore my hand away, wiping my sweaty palms over my white shorts.

I wasn't wearing much, but a blue tank top and shorts, my feet covered in rosy pink slippers.

"Absolutely not." I was about slam the door, but his boot stopped it from closing and his lips appeared through the crack.

"I understand you are angry with me-"

"It's not that." He pushed open the door against my seemingly frail hold against it. His eyebrows furrowed and he stared down at me with utter confusion.

"What do you mean?" My persistence cracked, I shook the thought that came to my head away and placed my hands on his shoulders attempting to push him back out the door.

"Please just go-"

"Mère." Erik looked up and his entire body tensed, I turned to face my white haired son and smiled.

"Yes, baby. What's wrong?" I completely forgot about Erik or almost completely, I still kept his presence at the back of my mind. I stepped over to my... No our... Son and I crouched down to his level grasping his hands.

"Wanda keeps taking my toys away, she says I am too loud." I simpered and wrapped my arms around Pietro, picking him up.

"Well, maybe it is because she is reading." As I walked down the hall to enter the living room, Erik and the woman followed. "Why don't you play toy cars in here?"

"Alright, Mère." I put Pietro down and was happy that Erik was there to watch him bolt away and then swiftly return a second later with a couple of his toy cars. He then stopped and looked over at Erik, who was staring at him with an indifferent expression.

"Who is this mère?"

"He is um... A friend." Erik's gaze broke from his son and then went back to me, I could feel how overbearing his anger was becoming. I had to admit, I did feel slightly pained that I didn't go find Erik when I realized I was pregnant, but now that I see what he has become... It was for the best.

"Cool."

"Oui." Moment later Wanda came walking from their shared room with a strong step in her walk. In one hand she held a book, her fingers holding her place.

"Mère, I have a question. What does 'herz' mean in English?" Wanda was smart, she had already learned several language, it was funny that just now she was learning German.

"Heart." Erik answered. "It means Heart." He glanced back to me and I knew I was in trouble from then on. "May I speak to you in private Appoline?"

"Is something wrong mère?" Pietro asked when he looked up at me, Wanda was asking the same thing with her eyes.

"No, nothing is. You both go in your room and Wanda stop putting your brothers toys on the top shelf. The adults have to talk." Pietro and Wanda did as I said, when I was sure the door was closed I gestured to the couch.

"I would rather stand." Erik grouchily shot at me, the blue woman however sat down and crossed her legs. Watching the scene before her unfold.

"Whose are-"

"They are ours." I interrupted, not wanting to hear him ask the entire question. Erik gulped audibly and placing his helmet down, before walking over to the couch and sitting down.

"The white haired one is cute." The blue woman stated, I nodded before holding my hand out to the woman.

"Appoline."

"Raven." Appoline took a seat on the couch across from them and crossed my arms.

"Can I get you both anything to drink?"

"No, but thank you." Raven replied, Erik just sat there and stared at me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Erik began, I finally felt a million horrors after that. I had done the most horrible thing, I had kept a father from their children. I was no better than the German officers that stole children from their families.

"I thought about looking for you, but I knew you would have been no different than when you left. You would have subjected our children to the same rage you always carried on your shoulder."

"But I had carried you with me in my heart, all this time and I have returned to you."

"Then that was the only place I needed to be, in your heart, a simple shadow that was once part of your life."

Silence.

"What are their names?"

"Pietro and Wanda." He smiled a little bit, Pietro was his father's name, he had also talked about naming his son Pietro. "They are twins. Pietro is a bit eccentric sometimes, playful, as you can see he has the ability to move extremely fast. Wanda she is a bit more timid and quiet, she tries to be older than she really is, likes to read a lot to. She has the ability to manipulate energy, it's beautiful really and-"

"Appoline, you should have came looking for me. I am fully capable of helping you now, I have more many than one could ever ask for."

"I think I am gonna go." An uncomfortable Raven stood up from the couch, but Erik caught her hand and pulled her back down to the couch.

"No, we are staying. We need a place to hide for just a couple hours."

"I can't risk that my children could get hurt-"

"Our children..." He firmly asserted, I bit my inner lip and looked down. "Do you not realize how strong they could be and you kept them from me." He pointed an accusing finger at me, making me angry. What was he demanding? That I use my children's abilities against mankind? What was wrong with him?! I knew exactly wha the was implying and I was having none of it.

"If you even think about it-"

"You'll what." I stood up and a burst of air came running from behind me, the bulb in the living room snuffed out, leaving the little sun that came through the blinds to light the room.

"I **will** kill you and I won't hesitate. I loved you Erik, I still do. The reason I never told you was because I needed to keep them safe." Erik stood up and stared into my now bright red eyes, he rose a hand up to my cheek. "You had made your leap of faith and I wasn't with you." Erik frowned.

"You can join us, help us become the ultimate race. With your abilities-" A tear trailed down my cheek, he wiped it away with his thumb and I closed my eyes. There was no more Erik.

"Sie klingen wie der Mann, der deine Mutter getötet (You sound like the man that killed your mother)." Erik's hand was as quickly gone as it was there, he scowled down at me.

"Let's go Raven, all I can see here are a bunch of old memories." He spat, they left through the door with a slam. I burst into tears and sat down on the edge of the couch cupping my face in my hands. The door to the twin's room slowly opened to reveal Wanda and her brother at his side. She approached me, grabbing my hands and pulling them from my red wet face. When I looked into her dark brown eyes, I knew she understood.

"Mère..." She leaned forward and kissed my nose causing me to giggle lightly, Pietro crawled into my lap and wrapped his arms around my neck, kissing my cheek.

"Je t'aime mére." That was when I had finally realized, there was only one good thing that came from Erik... And that was them.


End file.
